Means for separating fluid-tar and sludge from hot newly made water gas



C. H. PRINTZ Nov. 21, 1939.

MEANS FOR SEPARATING FLUID-TAR AND SLUDGE FROM HOT NEWLY MADE WATER GASFiled April 24. 1937 INLET 6A5 OUTLET 5A5 INLET INVENTOR. CHARLES hfPR/NTZ BY 1 z :25 I 22 3 v ATTORNEYS 71 4? DRAIN Q Patented Nov. 21,1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLUDGE FROM HOT GAS NEWLY MADE WATERCharles H. Printz, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Gas MachineryCompany, Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application April 24, 1937, Serial No. 138,865

2 Claims.

My invention relates to seals for water gas sets, and particularlyrelates to improvements in the casings or housings for the liquorforming the seal, commonly known also as seal separators and wash boxes.As is well known, these seals are primarily designed to prevent movementof gas in the wrong direction and are usually plain boxes or casingscontaining suitable liquor beneath the surface of which the made gasfrom the gas set is conducted from the gas ofitake of the set, the gaspassing through the liquor and out from the seal casing and beingconducted into storage, or to place of consumption, or any othersuitable and desired place. These seal casings usually have flatbottoms, and the fluid tar and heavy sludge carried in by the gas settleby gravity and collect upon the flat bottoms, and thus are separatedfrom the gas passing through the seal casing. When heavy oil is used forenrichment of the water gas made in the set, and even when gas oil isused for such enrichment together with bituminous coal in the generator,great difficulty is encountered in the use of the known forms of sealsbecause of the formation of tar and liquor emulsion in the seal. Theseparating liquor is agitated by the bubbling gas and this agitationresults in the formation of tar emulsions, if the separated tar andsludge are not promptly removed from the sphere of the agitated liquor.The separated tar must be deemulsified before the tar is marketable, andthis de-emulsification involves considerable additional equipment andexpense. It is designed by my improved casing for liquid-seals of gassets to obviate the formation of tar and liquor emulsion.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain means illustrating my improvements, such means constituting,however, only one of the many forms in which the principle of myinvention may be embodied.

The drawing is a vertical longitudinal section, partially in elevation,of my improved casing for liquid-seals of water gas sets, including someaccessory inlets, outlets, drain tank,'etc.

Referring to the annexed drawing, a casing I is provided with an uppergas inlet 2 and a gas outlet 3 and, in use, is filled with hot liquor 4to a level above the bottom of the inlet 2, to form a seal in whichfluid tar and heavy sludge are separated from the gas as it passesthrough the liquor 4 from the inlet 2 to the outlet 3. In the form ofcasing I shown, I provide a hoppershaped bottom 5 therefor. The fluidtar and heavy sludge are separated from the gas as the latter bubblesthrough the seal liquor and settle toward the bottom of the casing I,the heavy sludge sliding on the hopper bottom 5 toward a bottom outlet 6therefrom. This bottom outlet 6 is a throat-like member controlled by avalve 1 and opens into the top of an auxiliary casing 8 which also has ahopper-shaped bottom 9 and a discharge spout I therefrom controlled by avalve I I. Adjacent the top of the hopper bottom 9 is a drain pipe I2.The casing 8 functions as a displacement tank for the fluid tar andheavy sludge which settle thereinto through the throatlike pipe 6 andcollect upon the bottom of the tank 8, the heavy sludge I3 collecting atthe extreme bottom and the fluid tar I4 forming a layer thereabove. Thefluid tar is drained off through the pipe I2 and the heavy sludge isdrained oif through the discharge nozzle III. The displacement tank 8forms a quiescent chamber in which there is no emulsifying of the tarand liquor, so that the fluid tar and heavy sludge are available for themarket, in the condition in which they are drained from the tank 8,without the necessity of de-emulsification. It will be observed, ofcourse, that the displacement tank 8 is also full of hot liquor 4, beingoriginally filled at the same time as the casing I. Liquor may be madeavailable for refilling the displacement tank 8, as hereinafterexplained, through a controlled liquor inlet I5, the top of the tank 8being connected with the normal liquor inlet I6 by a pipe I1, thespilling of the liquor from the pipe I! into the inlet I6 indicatingwhen the tank 8 is full. A controlled steam connection 22 to thedisplacement tank 8 permits heating of the liquor in the tank 8 asdesired.

The normal outlet from the seal proper I is indicated by the number l8and it is connected with the normal drain tank I9 by a pipe connection20, a pipe connection 2| tapping the bottom of the drain tank I9 andserving as a tar drain from the tank I9.

During the operation of the water gas set, the separation of the lightand heavy tar from the hot made-gas is elfected in the seal, due to thecontact of said gas with the seal liquor 4, which light and heavy tarsettle downwardly through the liquor 4 and pass through the throat-likemember 6 and collect in the bottom of the displacement tank 8. Duringthis operation valve 1 is open, and discharge spout I0 and pipes I2 andI are closed. When it is desired to remove the fluid tar and heavysludge from the tank, 8, valve I is closed and pipe I2 is first openedto drain oil the fluid tar. After this drainage is effected, valve i Iis opened and the heavy sludge is discharged through spout Ill. Then, torefill the tank 8, outlets in and I2 are closed and inlet I5 is openedand hot liquor fed into the tank 8 untl it spills over into the inlet Hifrom the pipe IT. Then valve 1 is opened and the process is repeated.

Drainage of the fluid tar and heavy sludge from the tank 8 is effectedat such suitable intervals as will obviate the collection of so muchheavy sludge as would cover the inlet to the fluid-tar drain l2.However, when the generator of the water gas set is cleaned as often asevery other day, the valve 1 can be closed and the line I! opened andthe tar and liquor drained from the displacement tank 8 directly intosuitable tar and liquor storage, a pump being utilized for this purposeif necessary. Then the valve H is opened, and the heavy sludgedischarged into any suitable receptacle.

The use of the improvements which have been described and which areshown in the accompanying drawing has resulted in entire freedom fromtar and liquor emulsion troubles, even with the use of heavy oil in thewater gas set for gas enrichment purposes, and even with the use of gasoil for enrichment together with bituminous coal in the generator. Also,the separated tar obtained by the use of the described improvementscontains so small a percentage of moisture that very slight. if any,dehydration of the tar is required.

What I claim is:

1. Means for separating fluid-tar and sludge from hot newly-made watergas comprising aseal provided with a liquor inlet, said seal hav ing inits upper part a gas inlet and a gas outlet, and forming a gas-bubblingchamber when the seal is filled with liquor to a level above the gasinlet, the seal having a hopper-shaped bottom provided with a bottomdischarge opening and forming a fluid-tar and sludge settlingcompartment, means for maintaining a liquor level in said seal above thegas inlet and belowthe gas outlet, a fluid-tar and sludge displacementtank below the seal, means forming a constricted passage-way between thedischarge opening at the bottom of the hopper-shaped portion of saidseal and said tank, means for controlling said passage-way, the tankhaving a hopper-shaped bottom formed at its bottom with a controlledsludge drain, said tank also having a fluid-tar side drain substantiallyhigher than its sludge drain, controlled means for admitting liquor tothe tank other than through said constricted passage-way, and meansforming a fluid conduit between the top of the tank. and the liquorinlet of the seal.

2. Means for separating fluid-tar and sludge from hot newly-made watergas comprising a seal separator having in its upper part a liquor inlet,a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and means for maintaining a liquor levelabove the gas inlet and below the gas outlet, the lower part of theseparator being organized into the following elements: a hopper-shapedtop portion having a bottom discharge opening, a throat-like memberadjacently below said opening and into which the hopper-shaped portionfeeds, a displacement tank adjacently below said throat-like member andinto which the latter discharges, a valve control for said throat-likemember, the lower end of the displacement tank being hopper-shaped, acontrolled sludge drain tapping the tank at the bottom of saidhopper-shaped lower end, a controlled fiuid-tar drain tapping the tankin an area substantially higher than the bottom of said hopper-shapedlower end, and controlled means for admitting liquor to said tank from asource other than said hopper-shaped top portion, said controlled meansincluding an inlet to and an overflow from said tank.

CHARLES H. PRINTZ.

